A Tail and a Past
by Lilrose99
Summary: Everyone has heard of Kaden, Ratchet's father. But what of his mother? When Ratchet crash lands on a weird planet where time doesn't run properly, he attracts the attention of who the Fungoid's call, 'The One of Broken Wings' or, more simply, 'Lynxion'. During ACIT. First story. Please don't hate.
1. Chapter 1: Unexpected Appearance

Zanora sat quietly on the wooden deck of her house, writing down her day. She stared at the ancient letters of the Lombax language and closed her eyes, stopping the familiar ache that came with it.

Her Lombax lover, Kaden, had taught her the language when she had been starting a family with him. She could still remember Kaden's face when she told him he was going to be a father. He looked so joyful and he had swung her around and whispered how happy he was and how much he loved her.

But then that damned cragmite came along and killed him, leaving her with a dead world, a dead husband and a missing baby.

And her baby… her Ratchet… she never found him. She scoured the universe for her child until Aphelion ran out of power and fuel, dying on her on Fastoon and leaving her alone again. She had used the last live teleporter to get to a peaceful fungoid planet, unwilling to stay on Fastoon for the memories and the pain.

She sighed and stopped writing, leaning back and looking into the sun. Zanora was half Lombax and half Nykril, making her a strange thing. Her baby had been fully Lombax, but he had her eyes and hair colour on his fur. But he had Kaden's attitude and stripes.

Zanora was a green eyed, blonde haired, fifteen-year-old human looking hybrid. Her Lombax heritage gave her the black striped ears on her head and black stripes, but her Nykril heritage dominated most of her. Nykrils were humanoids with animal parts, immortal beings that made their family immortal with them. But they can still die. Kaden was immortal, but he could die. He did die.

Zanora herself had a pair of large black-feathered wings protruding from her shoulder blades directly behind her and a pair of large white bat/demon wings sticking out a little closer to her, giving her double wings. She had nine tails. Four were furred and looked like foxtails, except they were long, could grab and hold things, and they were blonde with a black and white swirled tip. Four other tails were thin and sleek, completely white and acted like whips when she had them out.

Her last tail was black and scaled, a purplish tint to the scales. The end of the tail was a large blade with red vine-like patterns spreading on the broad sides of it. It was a large blade, curved and sharp. She could also grow horns and claws made of the same material as the blade, but it was obvious where they were. The claws could stretch to whatever length she wanted them to and her horns were straight and long, the ends used for impaling themselves in things.

She currently had her whiptails, her claws and her horns retracted, her wings stretched lazily behind her and remaining tails curled around her. She closed her journal; staring out into the forest beyond the clearing she created her house in with melancholy eyes. She sighed and walked inside, the door opening for her.

She walked into her lab, smiling at the place her old robot child used to charge himself. Zephyr was an old robot that she treated like her child. She could still remember his red coating and how they used to make old Lombax devices for fun. He was adorable. He left a few years ago, using an old jet to get off the planet. Last she heard, he had become the guardian of a secluded moon base.

She walked to the bedroom, putting her journal on the bedside drawer. She glanced for a moment at the portrait on the bedside table, a picture of her family when Ratchet was born, and walked out, intending to visit the Fungoid village for supplies.

She had just gotten her shopping bag when an almighty boom thundered across the sky. She looked up in alarm and saw it. A familiar ship, surrounded in flame, crash landing in the eastern forest. She dropped her bag and broke into a run, flapping her wings and lifting off the ground.

She saw it land easily, stopping in a time freeze. She landed and approached, just as the cockpit burst open. She jumped, running back into the trees and watching a man in green run out and start kissing the ground. However, it was the second occupant who caught her attention.

It was a Lombax. Blonde fur, brown stripes and bright green eyes, he was glancing around, a hand twitching in anticipation before relaxing. He then glanced Zanora's way and she jumped back, running back to her house in a daze.

For how could she think straight... when her son had just turned up in her old ship?


	2. Chapter 2: Strange Follower

**Hi! Lilrose here! **

**Listen, this story is my first, so I'm a little nervous. Can you give me some reviews on what you think about it? I'd really appreciate it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this universe except my OC, Zanora/Lynxion.**

Ratchet looked out of the cockpit, having finally removed the air bag. He could plainly see that everything was frozen somehow, but the question was, how?

He looked to Qwark, who was pushing at the top of the cockpit. Qwark grunted as he removed his hand and replaced it with his shoulder. He let out a dramatic groan, melting back into his seat like a balloon that had deflated.

"Well, Ratchet, my friend, it seems we're stuck." he announced calmly, then he proceeded to break down and cry, "It's over! OVER! We're DOOMED!"

Ratchet sighed, rolling his eyes at Qwark's antics. He looked at the cockpit roof's locks, noticing they were simply jammed. He looked at Qwark, who was now curled in a ball and sobbing pathetically. He pulled out his Omniwrench from behind him and slammed it on the locking mechanism, forcing the latch to release. The glass case lifted swiftly, fresh air filling the passenger's lungs. Qwark continued to sob as Ratchet climbed up onto the top of Aphelion. The poor ship's wings were torn clean off and the rear thrusters were seperated from the main ship, hovering frozen a little way back.

Ratchet groaned, "How on Veldin will I fix this?"

He paused, looking toward the long crater the ship made on its way down. He noticed the engine impaled on a particularly sharp rock and face palmed.

_'The Universe has it in for me. That doesn't even make sense!' _he thought grumpily while staring at the suspiciously precise impalement in the engine.

Ratchet heard Qwark let out a shaky laugh as the ship violently rocked, nearly pitching him over the side. He yelped, managing to keep his balance as Qwark suddenly ran past him, jumping onto the solid ground and proceeding to lie on it, kissing it and announcing how much he loved stable, non-exploding ground.

Ratchet shook his head at the green suited maniac, going back to the cockpit and grabbing some important tools he didn't want to leave behind. He noticed that he never let go of his trusted Omniwrench and smiled fondly, glad his instincts were there when his mind wasn't. He secured his only weapon on his back, walking to the back of the ship and leaping easily onto the ground.

He looked around, ears stretched behind him as he tried to listen past Qwark's rambling. He glanced around, his hand twitching as he looked for enemies. Nothing was there, so he relaxed.

He was about to call out to Qwark to stop his anitcs when he heard a faint rustle and his head snapped around, eyes locking onto bright green eyes similar to his own for a split-second. Then it was gone, leaving an empty hole in the bush. He stared a little longer before he heard Qwark call out to him.

He glanced at the forest once more before turning back to Qwark, who seemed to be staring at a path along the ridge of the ravine their ship nearly fell into.

"Where the heck are we?" Ratchet asked, eyes still trained on the area in which he saw the pair of eyes before.

"Beats me." Qwark said dismissively, "Perhaps a stroll through this uncharted forest will solve the mystery!"

Ratchet gave him a deadpan look before walking into the forest, Qwark trailing behind him.

* * *

They walked for a while before stumbling upon some old ruins. Ratchet noticed that there was another blue beam of light right in the middle, where some of the ruins had started coming apart. It made the crash seem to stop mid-motion, confusing the hell out of him.

"Whoa." He started, staring in disbelief at the frozen ruins, "Qwark, are you seeing this? Something is seriously wrong with this planet."

He heard his voice echo and his ears twitched, not used to the sound being so distorted.

"It's like time is all... not working." Qwark replied, scratching his head in confusion.

Ratchet was about to reply when he heard rustling behind them and spun quickly. There were the green eyes again. But as soon as he took a step forward, they vanished, the rustling fading away. He blinked, shaking his head and shifting.

"Ratchet!" he heard Qwark call, startling him out of his thoughts, "What's taking you so long?"

Ratchet looked back once more before following, missing the eyes return again and watch him leave.

* * *

Ratchet heard running footsteps coming toward them and tensed, spinning around. There was a weird alien running toward him in a panic. He recognized that it wasn't an enemy and relaxed as it approached.

"Oh help! Help! Please, please help me!" it cried, sounding female, "My children! They're in danger!"

"What seems to be the problem, citizen?" Qwark asked softly, missing Ratchet's eyeroll.

"Zyphoids." she hissed, pointing to a squad of creatures crawling around a small ledge with a smaller alien standing on top, terrified, "We were fishing up river when they attacked!"

"Qwark, stay here." Ratchet commanded, pulling out his Omniwrench, "I'll go save the children."

He made quick work of the Zyphoids, saving the three children and returning them to their mother. The mother offered to take them to her village, which they gratefully accepted. She led them through the jungle, answering their questions as she went. Then, Ratchet worked up the nerve to ask what he was curious about.

"Is there a creature with bright green eyes that hides in bushes around here?" He asked, ignoring Qwarks quizzical glance.

The mother stopped, turning toward him quickly.

"Where did you see the eyes?" she inquired.

"I first saw them where we landed, then they followed us around."

The mother stared at him intensely, making him shift slightly. She then closed her eyes and nodded.

"You have her eyes."

Ratchet blinked as she looking at him in understanding, "Well, yeah, its eyes are the same colour as mine. Is that why it is following me around? And who's this 'she'?"

"She is following you." the mother replied, then pausing in thought, "Don't know why though. She is not known for following people. She tends to get food in the village and leave. Never stays long."

"Well, I'm curious now!" Qwark announced loudly, leaning toward the mother, "Who exactly is she?"

"No one knows. She came to the village a long time ago, when I was a child. She didn't say anything, but we didn't ask her. She was frightening at first, you see. Never had someone like her."

"Who is she?" Ratchet urged, but the mother simply shook her head and walked on. But she gave them one more piece of advise.

"Ask the Chieftain. He will answer your questions."

Ratchet was desperate for answers, but kept his silence. He moved to follow when he heard rustling again. Turning quickly, he saw the green eyes, but they weren't at ground level anymore.

They were on the face of a shadowed figure. Female, by the look of it. And taller than him. There were no distiguishing features, but Ratchet could see the outline of a pair of ears. Lombax ears. He went to move toward her, but she vanished again, the rustling fading into the distance.

Ratchet followed after Qwark, thoughts running wild. Was this mysterious woman... a Lombax?

* * *

The mother guided them to a large gate that opened as she drew near. There was another alien like her on the other side, holding a glowing staff and looking surprised.

"Enessa!" it cried, revealing that it was a male, "What are you doing out here?"

"The Zyphoids are back." She replied, "There must be something wrong with the time keeper."

"Not in front of the outsiders!" he quickly hushed, glancing at them from the corner of his eye.

Ratchet felt indignation rise up, but pushed it down while slapping a hand over Qwark's mouth as he went to say something.

The male alien continued like it hadn't noticed, "Quickly, we must head into the village."

He then started walking, leading them to a lively place that was situated near a huge temple. Ratchet walked faster to try and talk to their guide, but Enessa held him back. When he turned to ask why, she wordlessly shook her head. Then, she gathered her children and walked away, leaving him and Qwark to follow the male.

The male led them to the front of the temple, then turned toward them.

"You are the ones from the crashed ship, are you not?" He asked calmly, ignoring the surprised looks on their faces.

They nodded and he continued, "Your ship isn't beyond repair. But fixing it will take powers beyond anything this universe has ever seen. Powers not to be taken lightly. Can you keep a secret?"

They nodded again and he explained about the Zoni, making Ratchet internally jolt. The Zoni had taken Clank. If he asked them about it...

"Now, follow me and don't touch anything!" The male interrupted Ratchet's thoughts as he walked off, leading them into the temple.

* * *

Ratchet walked behind the male, two Zoni trapped in the capsule on his back. He looked to the male before, hesitantly, bringing up the topic he wanted to know.

"Um, who is the woman with green eyes?"

The male stopped and turned to him, confusion obvious.

"How do you know about her?"

Ratchet explained his encounters with her, including the latest one. The male looked thoughtful before starting to explain.

"She is an old being. She has lived some years with us now, and never has she revealed her name. But we know her true form, as she tends to protect the village in it's darkest hours." he paused, staring right at them, "She is a sorrowful soul. She weeps for a family that we believe to have died. So we named her two names."

"Lynxion is her name, but what it stands for is also another name for her. You see, due to her true form, we called her 'Lynxion' because, in our language, it means 'The One of Broken Wings'. To have her follow you..." he searched for information to give, but came up with nothing, "I'm not really sure of the reason."

He then guided them on in silence. Ratchet's thoughts were whirling crazily, questions buzzing on the tip of his tongue.

_What was her true form? Why is she here? What happened to her family? Why does she have Lombax ears?_

But by the look on the male's face, he didn't want to talk anymore. And Ratchet himself felt that it would be rude to continue questioning.

* * *

When they approached the entrance of the temple, the ground suddenly shook and the Chieftain gasped as he ran out ino the light. Ratchet and Qwark followed quickly, exiting the temple and staring in confusion.

There was a large ship hovering over the village and dropping robot soldiers on the fungoids. There were villagers screaming and running, trying to avoid them.

"Quick! Everyone inside the temple!" the Chieftain yelled as the villagers heard and rushed over, "Vorselon is coming!"

Ratchet pulled his Omniwrench from behind him and glanced at his companion.

"Alright, Qwark." Ratchet started, "You ready to let those stallions out of the stable?"

Qwark stretched and put his fists up, "I was born ready!"

Suddenly, an alien in a high-tech suit appeared behind Qwark.

"Azimuth!" it yelled, it's voice scratchy and sounding like a broken radio.

Qwark let out a high-pitched squeal as he leapt from his spot into the Chieftain's arms.

The newcomer approached Ratchet, putting his face close, "I believe Dr. Nefarious was clear as to the repercussions of leaving your hovel."

Ratchet took a step back as it leaned in close, glaring daggers at him.

"The Clock is ours." It growled menacingly, leaving Ratchet confused.

"Whoa... wait." Ratchet tried to take in what he heard, "Who?"

"Dr. Nefarious has no authority here, villian." Qwark came from nowhere, shielding Ratchet from the newcomer's view, "In fact, I'm not even entirely convinced he's a real Doctor!"

If they were in friendlier company, Ratchet would have facepalmed.

"So return my sidekick's pal before I bring the thunder!" Qwark struck a ridiculous pose as Ratchet helplessly shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.

The 'villian' wasn't amused. He held out one of his arms as it crackled with electricity and suddenly Qwark was trapped in a bubble. Ratchet jumped back, staring desperately at the floating man in the bubble.

Qwark struggled before growling, "You win again, technology."

Then he sped away, taken to the ship hovering above the village. The villian turned and faced two of his soldiers.

"Kill the exile," he commanded, "and bring the rest in for questioning."

They then approached Ratchet and he brought his helmet up in preparation of the incoming attack.

* * *

He managed to destroy a few of them before they started attacking on all sides. Ratchet couldn't get a hit. Suddenly, there was a shriek and something dived in front of him and scattered the enemies in front. Ratchet quickly dealt with the enemies behind him before turning back in time to see a giant blade slice through the enemy's ranks easily.

There was a girl standing on the end of the tail, using claws and horns to run the attacking forces into the ground. Ratchet couldn't see her that well, but he could see the bright green eyes that were familiar now.

_'Lynxion'_ his mind supplied as he blocked another blow, pushing it away and slamming his trusty Omniwrench into the side of the attacker's head.

The fight took a while, but with Lynxion on their side, the enemy eventually drew back. Ratchet felt his helmet disappear as the Chieftain cried out in despair.

"We're too late! Vorselon is leaving!"

Ratchet narrowed his eyes in determination, knowing what had to be done. He turned toward the exit to the village, only to spark a clash between green as The One with Broken Wings stood in front of it.

At long last.


	3. Chapter 3: Motherly Fondness

**Hi! Lilrose again.**

**I recently got a message that Zanora/Lynxion is like an anime character. This is probably due to the fact that I originally planned her to be in a Fullmetal Alchemist story of mine. But she didn't really fit there, so I tried to change her a little to fit in this. If you see any way to make her fit better, can you review it please?**

**I've also noticed that in the cutscenes of ACIT, Kaden had green eyes and blonde fur. I originally thought he had a darker fur colour and brown eyes, which is why I thought this could work. But, just go with it, yes? That's why this is a fanfiction.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this universe except my OC, Zanora/Lynxion.**

Zanora stared at the teenage Lombax in front of her, straining to keep her emotions in check.

_'It's him.'_ she thought as his eyes gazed into hers, _'It's really him.'_

She took a close look at him as he slowly got closer. His eyes and fur were obviously from her side, but his brown stripes must be from Kaden. He was wearing an impressive tech-suit and... _that's Kaden's!_

She stared at the Omniwrench on his back, recognizing it easily. She'd know the craftsmanship anywhere. But if Ratchet had it, then...

_'Kaden did use the Dimesionator to send him away. He must've known that I'd recognize it.' _she watched as Ratchet stopped in front of her.

"Are you Lynxion?" He asked, his voice gentle and making her heart stop and restart ten times as fast.

Her throat was closed, so she merely nodded, keeping a straight face.

_'Don't cry.'_

"Do you know the quickest way back to my ship?"

_'Oh god, don't cry.'_

She cleared her throat and forced out a few words, "Yes, of course."

Ratchet seemed surprised with the deep tone her voice naturally had, but got over it.

'_O__h my baby, I'm so sorry._'

"Can you show me?"

Zanora let her wings spread as her horns and claws disappeared, observing as Ratchet's eyes widened at the sight of her two wings. She then let her wings fold peacefully behind her and walked toward the exit, beckoning him to follow. He did, eyeing her tails as he walked behind her, especially the bladed one. They walked in silence along the ravine path, until they reached another of the blue columns of light.

"What are those?" Ratchet asked curiously.

"They're time columns, according to the Fungoids." She started, walking along and dodging another column, "In their language, though, they're called 'Frimendi'. I don't know very much about them, only that the Fungoids once had the ability to control time, but they messed it up."

Ratchet became silent again, though Zanora felt that he wanted to ask more questions. She slowed down to walk beside him, making his hand twitch before relaxing.

She noticed this with approval, "You have good instincts. Ready to grab a weapon in a second's notice. You need that in the Polaris Galaxy. Not safe anymore."

He looked surprised that she had commented him on that, "Seriously? Where I come from, people don't like reflexes that much."

"Oh? And where are you from, Lombax?"

"The Solana Galaxy."

Zanora snorted, amused, "Those guys are rarely attacked. Too much weaponary there."

Her mind, however, was a different story.

_'Solana? Kaden must have been desperate. They had too much firepower for Tachyon to cross to there easily. It would have taken many years for him to break through their defenses, and even if he did, Ratchet would have been grown up by then. But how then-'_

"Why do you have Lombax ears?"

Zanora jumped at the sudden question, but didn't answer it as they rounded the final corner. Ratchet ran forward and stood near Aphelion, pulling out the canister holding the Zoni. He opened it, freeing the two creatures inside. They fixed Aphelion, who hovered for a few moments and landed. Zanora avoided Aphelion's sight range as Ratchet pulled in the two Zoni. She watched him with sad eyes, but then one of the Zoni saw her and approached.

_"He will not be angry with you. You can tell him. But wait until the time goes back." _It said, Zanora knowing what it meant instantly.

Ratchet put on the lid of the canister as the last Zoni slipped inside and turned to her.

"What did it mean?"

Zanora shook her head mutely and watched as he shrugged and got in the ship. She wanted to tell him, but her throat was dry and only a choked cough came out. Then, he suddenly got out again and walked to stand in front of her. He rubbed the back of his head before hesitantly speaking.

"Listen... I know this is strange, but you really seem familiar. I don't know where from, though." He looked at her cautiously, waiting for a reaction.

She smiled encouragingly and he continued, "Would you... come with me? I could really use your help and-"

She cut him off, a grin that hadn't been there for years on her face, "Mate, you don't need to ask. I have to tell you something though."

Ratchet looked confused. She leaned forward.

"That ship of yours is Aphelion. I created her on Fastoon years ago, before the massacre of Tachyon."

Ratchet froze and she took the opportunity to stand in front of Aphelion. Aphelion let out a series of beeps and whines before her familiar voice came through.

"_It's you! Z-"_ Zanora shushed her quickly, as Ratchet shook himself out of his surprise.

He whirled to face her so fast, she was surprised his ears didn't continue and whack him in the face, "What do you mean, on Fastoon? You were there?!"

"Yes." Zanora replied simply, leaning against Aphelion, "I worked there as an AI creator."

Ratchet opened and closed his mouth for a while before giving up and hopping in. Zanora followed, pressing a blue button on the side. Suddenly, the back of Aphelion became longer, making room for her wings. She retracted her tails and sat on the passenger side, looking out the window as Ratchet lifted them into the air and proceeded to chase after Vorselon's ship.

* * *

_"Tap water?! You... animals!"_

Ratchet rolled his eyes, "Listen, I need you activate the Nav-beacon on your belt. Can you do that?"

A dot appeared on the screen in front of him.

"Thank you. Now hang tight. I'm on my way."

_"Great! I guess I'll-" _Qwark's voice cut off mid sentence as Ratchet turned the com-link off.

Zanora glanced at him from the corner of her eye before looking forward, at the ship ahead. She saw Ratchet look at her briefly in her peripheral. She mulled over the idea before giving up and sighing.

"Okay, Lombax. You win. You get to ask questions freely. But" she interrupted as Ratchet opened his mouth, "you can't ask me about Tachyon's attack and how I got away."

Ratchet seemed a little put down, but got over it.

"Why was Aphelion broken down on Fastoon?"

Zanora leaned back in her seat, "She ran out of fuel after-... a long trip. I had been avoiding Tachyon, but I was attacked."

She growled, "Damn Dropids had seeker ammo, the cheats. I crashed Aphelion on Fastoon and had no tools to repair her with. I had to leave her. There was one last active teleporter, so I used it to go somewhere Tachyon wouldn't bother attacking. So it transported me to a Fungoid planet. I knew they could speak the universal language, so I got some supplies and made a home. "

Ratchet was silent for a bit, then he asked another question.

"Why do you have Lombax ears? Why do you have wings and markings and- actually, you know what," he stopped, obviously not happy with the way the question came out, "I'll start again. What are you?"

Zanora chuckled when he changed the sentence, smiling at him, "I'm only half Lombax. That explains the markings and the ears. But I'm also part Nykril. That explains everything else."

"Nykril?" Ratchet asked, turning his head to look at her.

Zanora shook her head, "Later. Now, I believe there's a ship we have to break into. I suggest that entrance there. Has less ships near it."

"Less?! There are thousands of them!"

"Hey, you look at the other entrances and you tell me where you want to go. Thousands or millions, Lombax?

* * *

"Anytime before Christmas would be great!" Zanora yelled, dodging another robot's shots.

She shot her tails out, sweeping them around as they threw and sliced the guards. More came out of no where, though, and she was tiring quick. She dodged another shot and propelled herself outward from the wall, claws slicing through the robots in range. But more kept coming! Zanora growled and dodged more shots.

Ratchet, however, had another problem.

"The door's locked, Lynxion! And I don't take you for the type who has a lazer in their pants." He called back, trying the short curcuit the door unsuccessfully. It shocked him and he yelped, jumping back on reflex.

"Oh, for the love of-!" Zanora dodged another shot and sprinted over, "You know what? You go shoot, I'll handle it."

"But how will you-?"

"Shoot, Lombax, shoot!" She shrieked as the remaining guards came around the corner, startling Ratchet as he started firing.

Zanora brought her tail-blade down, guiding it into the gap between the wall and the door with her hands. She then pushed her tail forwards, pushing it to the other side.

_'It's been a few years since I last did this. I hope I'm not rusty.' _she realised as she climbed up the wall and wedged herself between the wall and her tail blade.

She pushed, her legs straightening slowly as the combined strength of her tail and her legs slowly forced the door open. She moved slowly across, keeping the blade straight as she body-shuffled over the wall where the door closes.

"Oi! Now would be a very good time to duck through!" She stated, grunting at the effort to keep the door open.

Ratchet dodged another blast and ran toward the door, sliding through quickly. Zanora turned her blade around quickly and jumped sideways, the door slamming on its lock as she landed safely beside her son. She grinned at his shocked expression.

"I haven't done that since the time that Grivelnox broke through the loading bay." She chuckled at the memory, "Good times."

"How could that blade do that?! That door is way heavier than it!" Ratchet exclaimed, staring at the tail-blade as it swung from side to side.

"Oh please." Zanora shook her head, walking over to him and patting him lightly on the head, "My weapons are stronger than mostly everything."

Ratchet pushed her hand away gently and tilted his head slightly, "Mostly? What can't it cut through?"

Zanora shook her head, pointing in front. Ratchet reluctantly left it alone, walking ahead to the cells, where Qwark was talking about how glad he was to see Ratchet. She wondered idly when the 'right time' that the Zoni mentioned was. She was REALLY having a rough time staying quiet and avoiding the subject.

* * *

"So..." Qwark began, the awkwardness getting to him, "Who exactly are you?"

Ratchet had launched everyone else out in an escape pod back to the Fungoid's planet, including Zanora. She was sitting beside Qwark, trying to silence her motherly instincts which screamed at her to go back to him. She rolled her eyes at his half-assed attempt at starting a conversation, but played along, all for a conversation.

"Lynxion. You're Qwark, right? Ratchet's partner?"

"Yeah." Qwark replied, trying to think up on another question, "You're, uh... you're the one who was following us. Back on the trail. Right?"

She nodded.

"Why were you following us anyway? Are you a stalker?" Qwark interrogated suspiciously, looking ridiculous as he tried to face her.

"No." She calmly answered, trying to resist the urge to strangle the guy, "I haven't seen a Lombax in years. I had to make sure I wasn't hallucinating."

Partly true. But she was thinking that she was hallucinating about her son being there instead of just a Lombax.

"Oh." Qwark fell silent, out of ideas for questions.

Zanora glanced at him sympathetically before looking out toward the ship. She recalled the first driving test she took Aphelion on, back when she first created the AI. Let's just say that Kaden was laughing at her about it for the rest of the damn month. She smiled when she saw Aphelion blasting out of the ship and following them. She heard the com-link flare to life as Ratchet told them that they were heading back to the planet they were from.

_"Z- I mean, Lynxion? Can we talk?" _Aphelion's voice came through the com-link, her voice sounding off slightly.

"Later, Aphelion." Zanora replied, glancing at Qwark, "I think this talk of ours should be private."

Aphelion was silent for a while, then let out a series of beeps that changed in pitch. Zanora knew what she was saying.

_'I'm not very happy, Zanora. I hope you have a good explanation for this.' _

* * *

Zanora watched Aphelion cautiously from her spot near her home. Ever since Zanora led them there, the AI ship had been keeping her sensor trained on her and blowing off a lot of heat. Something Zanora recognized and had grown to fear slightly.

It wasn't the first time Aphelion was pissed at her.

Ratchet looked quite confused. He had checked Aphelion over and seen nothing out of the ordinary, but he was forgetting something. Aphelion is an AI. And she is quite emotional when it comes to Zanora. She might have been joyful to see her at first, but now...

Zanora heard her let off a loud whir and narrowed her eyes, knowing that Aphelion was cursing at her. She let out a soft growl, which Aphelion responded with a violent crackle. In other words, she was extremely pissed off.

Ratchet stood beside her and rubbed the back of his head, "I don't know what's wrong with her. She was fine before."

Zanora glanced at him before continuing to glare at the ship, "Oh, I know what's wrong."

"What, then?" Ratchet asked, looking at her sideways.

She walked forward, ignoring how Aphelion revved her engine. She stood right in front of the angry ship and crossed her arms. She clicked her tongue twice.

_'Okay, Viola. What?'_

Aphelion let out a hum, followed by a series of piercing beeps.

_'I think you know, moron.'_

Zanora sighed and turned to Ratchet, who looked very confused. So he couldn't understand the robot language, then.

"I need to talk to her. You don't mind, do you?"

"No, it's fine." He replied, looking a bit lost, "But how can you understand her?"

Zanora smiled, "I learned the robot language long ago. As did most of the engineers."

She held up a hand when he opened his mouth and he stopped, looking a little annoyed, but staying quiet. She walked back to Aphelion, who let out a mechanical growl. She slapped her hand lightly on the ships front and flapped her wings once.

_'Come on, then, you stubborn ship.'_

She walked toward the garage, Aphelion floating behind her. She turned around to look back at Ratchet as the AI ship wandered in.

"Make yourself at home, Lombax. This is probably going to take a while."

"Thanks. And stop calling me 'Lombax', Lynxion." He shouted back, perching on top of one of the giant rocks, "My name is Ratchet."

Zanora watched as he started cleaning the weapons he had, shaking her head when an image of someone similiar doing the same thing popped into her mind. Now was not the time for that. She glanced at Ratchet once more before walking into the garage.

She had a loooooot of explaining to do.

* * *

_'I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD, ZANORA. I WAKE UP AND YOU'RE GONE! AND GUESS WHAT?! YOUR **SON **IS THE ONE THAT FIXED ME! I THOUGHT YOU PROMISED THAT WE WOULD STAY TOGETHER AFTER KADEN DIED! IF YOU WANT FORGIVENESS FOR LEAVING ME, YOU SHOULD GRAB THAT DRILL OF YOURS AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR-'_

_'APHELION! SHUT UP AND LET ME SPEAK!'_

_'NO WAY! THIS IS THE LAST TIME! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS!'_

_'I DIDN'T ASK YOU TO! YOU DON'T HAVE TO FORGIVE ME, OKAY?!'_

Aphelion fell silent at that screech as the words behind it fully hit her. Zanora heaved a few breaths before closing her eyes and bowing her head slightly. She switched to normal speech and continued.

"I'm not asking forgiveness. I'm merely explaining so you know. I was weak, Aphelion. You know that. I hadn't had any water, food or rest. My mind was clouded and my tools were gone. When the Dropids used that bloody seeker ammo, you crashed. I couldn't fix you. I could barely move. But there was an active teleport with one more trip in it. So I took it."

Aphelion seemed to stall as she hesitantly spoke, "So... you were keeping our first promise? Not... abandoning me?"

"Never." Zanora smiled, "I wanted to stay with you, but it literally hit me in the head like a rock. I promised I would stay alive and safe, back when I had no one. So I checked the AI drive was intact and took the teleport here."

Aphelion seemed to have calmed as her sensor stared out at the young Lombax talking to Qwark. Zanora followed her gaze, eyes landing on him as a fond smile lit her features. Aphelion crept forward to park beside her, sensor glancing at her.

"You care a lot for him, don't you?" She asked softly, "Even though you never found him yourself."

Zanora's eyes softened as Qwark proceeded to squish Ratchet in a hug, to which Ratchet started flailing like a maniac. She could see Kaden in him a lot, the wise guy attitude he had being extremely familiar. She leant against Aphelion as Ratchet ran away from the ex-hero, the AI ship humming contentedly at her.

"I'll always care for him. Even if he never realises it."


End file.
